Take Me Away
by tiffywiffyfluffykitty
Summary: Forced into an arranged marriage, all Kushina wants is for her lover, Minato, to take her away to Konoha, but orders are orders and Minato has no choice but to let her marry someone else. However...?


**I think both Minato and Kushina are a bit OOC here, and I had to guess Rin's nice and sweet attitude since I don't really know her character that well, but I think this is pretty okay. Just to let you know, Kushina's not a kunoichi here and her wedding is Shinto style, if you were curious.**

**Please review and if you like this, check out my other MinaKushi fanfiction, Red Confessions! :D**

* * *

**Take Me Away**

Kushina Uzumaki, daughter of the feudal lord of the Whirlpool Country, sat primly next to her husband-to-be; a large, rough, and brutish man, who, despite being a rather disgusting man, was a feudal lord's son. Currently, they were sitting in one of the feasting halls in his castle and Kushina was dying for a chance to escape to her room.

Her gray-violet eyes roamed the room. All the guests were talking amongst themselves or nervously listening to the lord's son, who was raucously laughing at the moment. Thankful that she was being ignored, she took several calming breaths, trying to control her temper. She hated that she had to marry this despicable thing of a human being and produce heirs, no less! Right now she was being put on show like some sort of animal so the lord's son could brag about how beautiful his future wife is.

Taking another calming breath, she replied to a curious inquiring young noble that she was fine and that she would like to retire to her rooms. Kushina stood and left the hall, stepping outside to the cool air, welcoming the refreshing breeze.

As she stared out over the garden, she thought she saw a dark shape flashing through the shadows and remembered that the lord's son had hired Konoha ninja to protect him until the wedding two days later, in case any of his rivals decide to sabotage him out of jealousy.

_Konoha. Shinobi. _

Her heart panged.

A figure stepped out from behind a pillar. It was a young female ninja with two stripes along her cheeks. "Is anything wrong, Lady Kushina?"

Kushina quickly shook her head. "No, just tired. How are you…?"

"Rin." The girl smiled. "I'm fine, thank you. Would you like me to escort you to your rooms?"

"No, it's alright. But thank you, Rin," Kushina said, giving her a small smile.

Rin bowed slightly and disappeared again, leaving Kushina alone in the moonlight, but most likely still keeping an eye on her.

Straightening her head, which was weighed down with her long red hair piled on top of it and secured by pins and clips, she proceeded down the corridors before she stopped in front of her door, sliding it back and stepping inside. But before she could light a candle, a voice spoke up behind her.

"Kushina."

She whirled around. "Minato!"

Her shinobi lover caught her up in his arms and kissed her desperately. She clung to him, feeling his strong arms wrap around her possessively and the hardness of his broad, muscular chest through his green flak vest.

Eventually, he broke the kiss and held her tight, sinking to the floor and arranging their positions so that she sat on his lap. She curled up to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I wasn't expecting you tonight."

"Kakashi took over for me. My students already know about us," he replied, resting his cheek on her forehead.

"Why did you accept this job? Knowing I have to marry someone else…" She stopped, feeling her chest tighten and knowing that Minato felt the same by the way is arms tightened around her.

"I couldn't let you go," he whispered. "I just can't."

She pressed her lips to his neck. "I'm glad you came. Only two days away—" She shuddered and pressed herself closer to him. "I don't want to marry him."

"I always wanted to take you away with me to Konoha ever since the beginning," Minato replied in a hushed whisper in case someone overheard them. "Then we'll be together. Safe." He shook his head in slight disgust. "I'm so selfish."

"No you're not," Kushina said. "I want to go to Konoha too." Her eyes shone in the dim light. "I want to see Hokage Mountain and the Academy and eat at Ichiraku's and meet everyone!"

Minato had to smile at her enthusiasm. "Me too." He sighed, the smile slipping away as he cheek returned to rest on her forehead once again. "Me too…"

They sat in silence, welcoming the comfort of each other's touch. Long after everyone had gone to sleep, they still sat together until Kushina finally fell asleep against Minato. The man laid her down on her futon and covered her up before placing a soft kiss on her slightly parted lips and slipping out the door to swing himself onto the roof.

A minute later, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin met him there. "So how was it, Minato-sensei?" Obito asked with a huge suggestive grin.

Minato rolled his eyes. "Come on, you know Kushina and I don't do things like that."

"Yeah, but you want to!" Obito shot back and Minato contemplated knocking him off the roof.

Kakashi interjected, "Shut up, Obito."

"I wasn't talking to you!"

"Guys, stop it!" Rin said. "Minato-sensei's probably hurting at the moment because he can't be with Lady Kushina." She set large sympathetic eyes on her teacher.

Minato gave her a tired smile. "Only two more days guys, then we can go home. How about you go get some rest?"

Kakashi and Obito nodded and leapt away so fast they were dark smudges against the bright roof. Only Rin stayed behind, staring at his teacher. "What is it, Rin?" Minato asked, sensing it could be quite a long conversation and settling down.

"What are you going to do once Lady Kushina's married?" Rin asked quietly, sitting down next to him.

It was a while before Minato could reply. Staring up at the moon, he replied, "I'll have to go back to Konoha and continue life as a shinobi. No more sneaking out to see her or anything. We'll have to go our separate ways." He sounded resigned and defeated. "That's the way it has to be."

Rin was silent. "But you love her, right?"

A deep melancholy sigh." Yes… Yes, I love her."

The girl turned to look at him. "If you love her, shouldn't you do something?"

"I can't. If I jeopardize this mission, this could cause a rift between two countries and may even start a war. Also, it could risk Konoha's reputation."

Rin fell quiet, thinking. "What I read in books, and what I've seen or heard of, I kinda figured out that when you love someone, you'll do anything for them, no matter the consequences."

"Sometimes, when the consequences are too big, you have to make sacrifices," Minato replied, not sure what his student was getting at. "It's one of the things you have to learn as a kunoichi."

"Yeah, I know." Rin sighed and stood. "I just would like to see you and Lady Kushina happy together." She jumped away and disappeared, leaving Minato alone with his thoughts."

* * *

The night before the wedding, Kushina was staring at her wedding kimono, her heart slowly freezing over. Silently, Minato slipped his arms around her waist and held her. Neither of them said anything.

"You'll be leaving before the wedding?" Kushina broke the silence with a quiet whisper.

"Yes."

She shook her head. "Too soon. It's much too soon."

He pulled her closer. "I know."

Kushina twisted around to face him. "I don't want to think about this anymore. I can't. I can't take this anymore." She pushed her face close to his. "Don't let me think anymore," she begged. "Make it stop, even if it's just one night."

Catching on, Minato gave her a wary, uncertain look. "Are you sure?" When she nodded, desperately, he took a deep breath and kissed her.

They melted into each other until the early hours of the morning.

* * *

Kushina sat next to the man who, less than an hour ago, became her husband. Though her face was impassive, her heart was crying for Minato.

_Minato_.

When she woke in the morning, she was dressed in a yukata and Minato was nowhere to be seen. Knowing he'd already left, she shed a few tears before wiping her cheeks and steeling herself. Her handmaidens helped her dress in her kimono and touch up her face with makeup before escorting her to the shrine.

Now she was married.

And she'll never see Minato again.

But she will never, ever bear this man's children. Her hand clenched around the sharp hairpin she'd hidden in her kimono. When the time comes, she will kill this man. Him or herself, it didn't matter.

Not after Minato left.

Next to her, her husband roared with laughter as he downed cup after cup of sake. She truly despised this man. Leaning away from his fetid breath as he leered at her with a wide, loose mouth, she took a bite of sea bream in an attempt to dissuade her new husband from coming closer.

Seeming to lose interest in his new bride, he turned away and Kushina breathed a sigh of relief before her mind once again turned back to Minato. What was he doing now? Did he arrive in Konoha yet? Was he thinking of her?

Right now, they were most likely leaping from tree to tree, on their way back to Konoha, going ever farther away from her. Smiling sadly, she looked down. Hopefully, he'll be able to move on and eventually marry and have kids of his own.

She remembered that he'd always wanted a son named Naruto after reading his teacher's novel.

Her mind wandering off, she day-dreamed of an alternate universe in which she was a Konoha ninja, not a feudal lord's daughter, and married Minato, and they had an adorable blond son named Naruto. He would also have his father' blue eyes and good looks, she decided mentally, and perhaps his mother's stubbornness and determination.

Depressed, she slumped. No… that will never happen. She shouldn't dare hope, not when her future was already dark and bleak.

Suddenly the hall was filled with thick smoke and the laughter turned to cries of shock and fear. As the smoke engulfed Kushina and her husband, something thudded into the ground next to her and she dimly saw a three-pronged kunai with a marked handle.

Minato's kunai.

And then he was there, scooping her up, his lips by her ear, whispering, "I told you I can't let you go."

Then he threw open the doors and they were flying.

Kushina's long hair tugged free of their restraints and flew behind them as they soared up to the starry sky made bright by the moon. She gasped at the view and turned to look at Minato, who smiled fondly back at her. They landed on a tree in the forest by her husband's castle and halted.

"I thought you were on your way back to Konoha!" she said, looking at him with surprise.

He laughed. "I couldn't bring myself to leave. I couldn't leave you with him, so I planned the entire kidnapping operation. Rin, and Obito were the ones who let loose the smoke bombs while Kakashi took care of the guards. They were pretty happy that I finally decided to man up and take you with me."

"Where are they?"

"We're waiting for them right now."

As he spoke, three blurs materialized next to him. It was Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. "Lady Kushina!" Rin said excitedly.

Obito laughed, grinning widely, as did Kakashi, but no one could really tell since it was so dark. "Nice to see you," Obito said.

"You too," Kushina said, smiling. "Where are we going?"

"We're going home," Minato said. "We're going to Konoha."

Speechless, Kushina could only throw her arms around him as Minato and his three students leapt away, back to Konoha where Kushina now belonged as well.


End file.
